My 2000 Volvo XC70 needs a tie rod, bearings, brake pads, 4 new tires, etc and my mechanic thinks it’s not worth the investment saying it’s the tip of the iceberg and will need many more repairs going forward…“time for a new car”. The mileage is 105K but I guess this year’s model has a poor track record. Should I fork over the $2000 plus in repairs now or buy a new car and cut my losses?
Tires and brakes are normal wear items, but I would get a second opinion on the rest. Tie rods and bearings, it’s a little early for them unless you live in an area that is really tough on suspensions. Even then, I’d suspect that the struts would go long before any of those others.
My concern is that bearings and tie rods are something a mechanic can say are bad, then charge for replacement and you would never know if they were actually replaced, unless they were really bad. But on the other hand, it’s not in his best interest to get you to buy a new vehicle when there is so much money for him to make off the “iceberg”.
I’m siding with your mechanic. Based on owning a '98 and '00 V70XC you can expect more repairs and I spent well over $2500 a year on one XC for several years before I gave up. the body and interior were great, but every few months it would be something else.
Fuel pump, $1,300. Drive shaft front to back $1,200. Lots of front end parts $2,000. Motor, transmission and rear end mounts, $1,500 etc. That’s just a few of my repairs. You can keep it on the road and have a comfortable, safe, and good looking car; but it will cost you.
Bearings? What kind of bearings? Wheel bearings? Front or Rear?
If it is the front wheel bearings, this is most likely the most expensive part of the repairs. How bad is it? The CV joints must come out to get these replaced and it wouldn’t take much more to replace that tie rod end while someone is down there. The brakes have to also be completely removed, so reassembly with new pads shouldn’t also cost that much more.
I’d shop around. You can probably score a better deal or get a better diagnosis. This is all maintenance stuff, except for the bearings. They typically last much longer that 105,000 miles.
Ouch!! Maybe this was what he meant. To the first respondent… as you say, his money is earned by repairing so I’m sure it’s well-intended advice. It just pains me. It’s my first Volvo and I thought it would go many more miles. I love the car. But I think I’ll go back to Honda or Toyota.
Maybe I’m giving up too easily. I don’t have those details and you raise some good points. I think I’ll get a second diagnosis. Tires and brake pads are expected and if the other stuff is all around the same place maybe it won’t be so bad. Thanks.
For some reason the rear brake pads on my Volvo V70XC’s wore out quickly. I bought the car used and the previous owner got between 5 and 7K miles between rear brake jobs. I bought the car at 160K and sold it at 210K and I got about 15K between rear brake jobs. On every other car I’ve owned I get 50K or more out of a set of pads.
I don’t know exactly what bearings you’re referring to but everything else you mention falls into the category of normal wear and tear items. It doesn’t matter what the make of the car is; you will have this expense on any of them.
Just my opinion, but I think your mechanic is way off base by stating what he did.
It’s a sad situation when a mechanic lumps things like brakes and tires into the Problem Car Category.
For $2000 the “etc.” part of your problems must be something. Or a lot of small things. Brake pads are cheap and easily replaced. So long as just they are replaced, fifty dollars. Add three hundred to pay the mechanic if you need rotors. Bearings, I assume mean wheel bearings, and that is unlikely at 105k. But say it’s true, maybe three hundred dollars, mostly labor. Four new tires top out at $400. The tie rod you could do yourself in thirty minutes for $50. So the cost, worst case for the problems you mention, should be a little over $1,000.
I’d get more information why this is the “tip of the iceberg”. Have you replaced the timing belt? Have you kept up on general maintenance? Does this guy sell used cars on the side? This is not a cheap car to maintain, but it’s not a bad car.
But I would not pay $2,000 for $1,000 worth of parts and repair.
I definitely need a second review. And yes, I did change the timing belt and have done other general maintenance. I’m now bothered that my mechanic just threw up his hands. Thanks for all the good feedback.